My Casa Bella

Hello Out There.....

2012-01-17T21:53:00.000-05:00

Doesn't that fire look inviting, wanting to curl up with a cup of hot tea, coffee or hot chocolate, with a good read or maybe crocheting a scarf or sweater?

Who has time for that?!

There has been so much going on around here that I don't even know where I would start nor would I want to get into it right now, there have been some good things going on, some very stressful and overwhelming things going on right now, we lost a dear friend very suddenly over the weekend and have a funeral to go to this Friday evening.

As for some other things going on in our life, well it'll have to wait.

It's one of those things, if I tell you and things fall through then I'll have to come back on here and print a retraction and so why go through that humiliation, right?

OK, so for right now, you'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, we sold our living room set and are now sitting on our wicker furniture and an Ikea chair, which has been OK, but it's not a soft, squishy couch.

Our new Sofa is on order, right now in the warehouse being put together.

I am SO VERY EXCITED! Can't wait to show you when it arrives.

Hope you are all well and happy and are staying warm.

Things I "Love"

2011-12-04T14:56:00.001-05:00

This time of year when I find myself cooking and baking more I realize how much I enjoy kitchen "toys".

My DH bought me an Emeril Stainless Steel pots and pan set which I've waited for many years

(sorry for the picture quality)

Then for one of our anniversary's he bought me this wonderful thing that I've always wanted

(Exact color too)

I use it all the time. I have friends and family that own one and they told me they hardly use it because it's too heavy to move around or it doesn't scrap up at the bottom of the bowl, but I got it anyways and I LOVE it.

I have the perfect place on the counter for it so I don't have to move it around to use it.

Today I plan to make Gluten Free Cherry Walnut Oatmeal cookies and I'm using this baby for it.

DH also bought me a Knife set that we purchased at Kohl's, it's the Food Network brand of stainless steel knives, I couldn't find a picture of it, but oh my, I didn't realize how dull my other knives were until I pulled these babies out.

On the first try I sliced a nail off!

Don't worry, no bleeding involved, thank goodness.

They slice like butter, it's amazing!

And last but NOT least my parents bought me this wonderful time saver

I use this Cuisinart all the time, I'd cry if it ever broke down.

So yes, I get excited about kitchen gadgets like I do about shoes and clothes, so I have to stay out of those stores.

What are your favorite Kitchen gadgets?

(I know I said in a previous post I won't be posting as much because of time, well, looks like I have some to spare)

Getting More Done:

2011-12-03T14:12:00.000-05:00

We recently got rid of our DirecTV and signed on for Netflix instead, that was a tough decision to make since I enjoy the Cooking Shows and HGTV plus the TCM channels as well but we wanted to make some changes and find time somewhere in our crazy schedules to be able to do more. Plus the price of TV these days is absurd and we thought it best to put that money towards gas since we are on the road quite a bit.

Now that we've been without TV I find that I don't miss it. On Netflix I get to choose the movies and shows that I WANT to watch and I'm watching movies I've never even heard of.

I also am getting more reading done, I finally purchased the

Little House Books

I found it at a local antiques store, I am missing two books which I will have to find.

As a little girl I watched Little House on the Prairie and loved it so much, I often wished I lived during those times, life was hard for them but they enjoyed work, family, worship and used their time wisely.

Today so many of us waste time in front of the TV, computer or playing video games all day long. They used their hands then, made their own things, learned so many trades, I'm not complaining, we have amazing technology now and can get more accomplished in a more timely manner, but we also waste a lot of time too and we don't even realize it.

Anyway, I at times say I was born in the wrong era and yet I'm amazed how far man has come since then.

But, my point was, I am enjoying more reading and doing more projects around the house here and learning another language with my DH. We're having a good time, busy but a satisfying busy.

I didn't realize how much time I was wasting until now.

So Much To Say, So Little Time

2011-12-02T16:37:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I've posted so very little these past few months.

Our lives here have suddenly taken on a very busy

course, like so many of you,

so busy that I don't have time to sit and play on the computer

and read some of my favorite blogs.

I also don't have time to write on my own blog.

Is this good-bye?

Not right now, every now and then I will post, but if it is far and

few in between, then it may one day be.

So you won't see many new posts, maybe once a month, maybe

more, we shall see!

New Design Ideas

2011-11-07T14:48:00.000-05:00

Wow, I didn't realize how long it had been since I last blogged, it's amazing how time flies right by when you're so busy that you forget which way to come and go at times.

But that's OK, it's been a very good busy, learning a lot, traveling a lot and making new wonderful friends.

So our house has not sold and we wanted a break so we took it off the market and we're going to wait to Spring to decide what to do.

In the meantime, I'm thinking of repainting our guest room.

Right now it is a buttery yellow

Not sure if the picture shows it well, but, I purchased some fabric quite a while ago to use in our bedroom, but I changed my mind and decided to use it in the guest room,

It is a cream background with brown swirls and I have another just like it except it's a brown background with cream swirls.

The bedding is white with brown trim, so I thought of painting the walls in brown, with white trim and making the windown treatments out of this fabric and using the other fabric as throw pillows and shams.

This room only gets the morning sun, so it's nice a bright but only until about lunch time, so I'm concerned of the room being too dark.

I love these pictures:

courtesy of country living

courtesy of Omahlicious

This room is by far my favorite but it looks nothing like my guest room....:(

courtesy of Decopad

This bedding looks similar to what I already have

So anyway, I've been searching for ideas, but Hubby thinks maybe I shouldn't paint it so dark in case it would scare a buyer away later, but I say, "if it's decorated beautifully then they won't even notice"

well, we shall see.

So what do you think?

Paint the walls dark brown or more of a neutral?

If neutral, what were you thinking?

I'd like to do this by early next week,

HA! Yes, I'm being optimistic!

Pumpkin MIA

2011-09-19T13:45:00.000-04:00

(image by Mariquita Farm)

So my dearest friend Valerie asked me if I've seen any

canned pumpkin at the grocery store lately?

I didn't notice, I told her. So the following week I went to the

market to get some canned pumpkin for a few

recipes and sure enough,

"item out of stock".

HMMMM, that's strange.

So we went to NYC this past weekend and I thought while I

was there I'd see if I could get some canned

pumpkin.

Went to Trader Joe's and they said it's not in season just

yet.

So we went to Stop 'N Shop in Queens, NY

the same thing

"item not in stock".

The very next morning it was on the News:

PUMPKIN SHORTAGE!

Oh no, you know what that means, when they come into the

stores, people will be stocking up on them,

and I will be one of those people!

So disappointing, I LOVE pumpkin, I love it in so many ways

and I can't have any of it right now!

Had I known that, I would of planted some in our

garden!

An Amazing place!

2011-09-07T17:01:00.000-04:00

This truly is the one place that relaxes me

and makes me slow down

and take a breather and reflect on my life.

Allows me to meditate and

appreciate all that I have and not take for granted

those around me.

We just returned from O.C. MD and had glorious

weather and enjoyed some

wonderful seafood, fresh and sweet and delicious.

It was a well needed vacation and

a great end to summer.

Great Reading!

2011-09-05T09:54:00.000-04:00

Wow, is it September all ready?!

Beautiful weather so far

but looks like we're in for lots of rain

which I hope will give us

a pretty and colorful Fall around here.

So we spent the weekend at the

Beach,

One of my most FAVORITE places on the

earth,

and I read a book that will bring some tears

to your eyes.

It's not a happy book, or a funny book,

but one that is based on

actual events that took place in France,

one that I never heard of until I read this book,

Click Here for more info

It's a movie now, which I wanted to read before

seeing the movie,

but now, I will wait until I can rent it because

this is a movie I'd rather see

at home and not in theatre's, with a box of

tissue beside me.

It is a really good book, don't let the fact that

it is sad scare you,

it's a piece of history.

The character's are not real.

Hope you're having a nice long weekend!

Gluten Free Blackberry Cake

2011-08-30T15:41:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, after the Hurricane scare was over,

which was after the earthquake scare was over as well around here.

(tornado a mile from our house in May, so scary, then the earthquake that made my sofa literally bounce, now the hurricane, we finally got our emergency back packs ready for the "just in case we have to run" situation!)

I was ready to make a new recipe, gluten free. I received an email

with this delicious looking cake and I had to try it.

It is absolutely delicious and moist and if you served it to your non-gluten free friends, they'd never know the difference.

The recipe is from

Bella Gluten Free

and it is so easy to make and so delicious, the only thing is that the recipe doesn't call for any salt so I added a 1/2 teaspoon and it came out delicious.

Great with coffee or tea.

Next time I will make it with blueberries, because I LOVE blueberries!

On another subject, I added a curtain to my kitchen window which I left bare because the views from there are just beautiful and I didn't want anything to cover that up, plus we only get the morning sun there so I wanted to keep from putting anything up that blocked any natural light.

Going through my moms linens a week ago and we came across these pretty lacy table top runners and I took one to turn into a valance

It lets all the light in and the color goes perfectly, it's a cream color. I didn't even bother making holes in our walls I just hung the rod over on top of our cabinets and added cafe rings.

Can you see the pretty lace detail? Mom had a bunch of these in different sizes so I think I may be picking out some more when I see them again in New York.

Hope your day is as beautiful as mine!

Just Because....

2011-08-25T09:15:00.000-04:00

I know it's been awhile since I've posted.

No one told me that when you put your house on the market

your life is OVER!

What I mean is, it takes OVER your life. You can't let a day

go by without organizing, sweeping or vacuuming,

when you've got cats, you've got to do it

EVERY DAY

because you'll see rounds balls of fur scurrying across your

floors, (did we get another cat?)

DID I NOT JUST SWIFF THESE FLOORS YESTERDAY!!??

So yes, I'm stressed, and frustrated and tired of people

walking through my house,

having to leave when they come, not knowing exactly when they will show up since they can't give you an exact time,

so they make it an hour.

Yes I'm whining, can't help it, I'm tired, and we dont' have kids

how do you do it with kids and toys and all that extra stuff?

My mom gave me this pretty and simple white valance with a lacy detail at the bottom and I think it is so sweet, so I put it in our

bathroom and I love it. It'll be the summer curtain.

I bought this sugar bowl a few years back and loved it. I used it

well, for sugar, until one day the lid broke and I was

so upset, I got it from an antiques store, not sure if it is

antique but either way, I thought it was sweet and I wanted to figure

out another way to use it, and,

Voila!

I can use it for my make-up brushes and it matches the bathroom

color so well.

Now I feel better.

Gluten Free Yumminess and Redecorating

2011-07-28T09:56:00.000-04:00

I made some wonderful, peanut butter filled chocolate cupcakes

by using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Choc cake mix then found a

recipe from Taste of Home website

PB filled Chocolate Cupcakes

and they turned out so good, the only thing I would do differently

is add more PB in the cupcakes, the recipe says a "scant"

whatever that means, but I'll add more,

either way they turned out moist and yummy.

DH is a peanut butter freak, and I say that in a very loving way,

so when he came home I surprised him with these.

They need to be refrigerated, so before you eat one, let it sit

out for a half hour and they're perfect.

Very tempted to have one right now for breakfast, hmmm!

I also made salmon, one of our favorite meals,

salmon has been so expensive lately so when it

FINALLY went on sale, I bought some and made

Salmon Dill

You salt and pepper your salmon, then add chopped garlic

and chopped dill and sprinkle over it.

Next you slice lemons and place over the chopped herbs

and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

Cover it like a gift

Lay it on a sheet of aluminum foil before seasoning,

after seasoning then lay another sheet over it

and close in the edges tightly.

Bake it at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or till it flakes

easily

Then you have this wonderful, fresh goodness.

We had it with a BLT salad that I got from Allrecipes

website.

We were very happy!

I also decided to do a little furniture arranging.

Since I was a kid I was

ALWAYS

rearranging my bedroom, I get bored easily with the same

look,

so I rearranged our sitting area off the kitchen, one of my

favorite spots in the house.

So it went from this

To this

I feel by moving the folded table over closer to the fridge it

allowed more light to come in.

I like angling furniture, not sure what it is but I like the look

of it and I feel that sometimes, not always, it opens

up the room a bit.

So I'll live with this for a while, or if the house sells,

we have two more months from today before the contract is up

then we'll decide what to do.

Hope you enjoyed my recipe ideas and decorating ideas.

Never thought I'd say this!

2011-07-24T18:54:00.000-04:00

But I am SO ready for

Fall!

(picture courtesy of Photo Bucket)

Every winter, by February I was ready for

summer.

Ready to get my hands dirty, planting new

veggies and plants.

Sitting on our swing underneath our huge

oak tree.

Grilling and sitting with friends outside.

But it's been to darn hot to sit out there,

too hot to stand by a grill,

afraid of passing out

and falling into it.

I'm getting tired of watering my plants almost

every evening because this sun is drying them and

crisping up the leaves.

Need to go out and water the flowers now, sigh!

Cute but MEAN!

2011-07-18T08:51:00.000-04:00

So how does something that is this cute

be so destructive and mean?

For weeks now we have had SOME THING

come around our back porch and just destroy it.

I keep cat food out for our one outdoor cat

and we woke up one morning to find her feeder

tossed off the porch into the cornfield.

And not just right at the edge of the field,

DEEP INTO THE FIELD!

What the heck! What could have flung that feeder

so far in there?

So DH was not happy to go in there and retrieve it.

HMMM!

So I put it away during the night and we'd see paw prints

all over our back table.

Looks like raccoon prints.

We went away one weekend and our neighbor kept

an eye on things,

fed my outdoor cat and put the food away

then one morning she came back

there to find the waterer gone!

We looked, and looked in the corn field and it has

DISAPPEARED!

How could a Raccoon have that

much strength?

At this point we thought maybe it was Bigfoot's child!

So, I was lazy one evening and decided to put the cat food

on top of our propane tank when I came out the

next morning, there were paw prints all over

that tank and my planter was laying against it with dirt

everywhere.

It used the planter as a ladder since you could see he

kept slipping down the tank.

Now I'm FRUSTRATED!

Our neighbor offered his shotgun but we didn't want

to do that, no need, so we got a trap yesterday

put in grapes, marshmallow's and honey.

Hoping to trap whatever this thing was

and move it to another location.

Sure enough!

Hubby said the thing scared him half

to death.

He snarled, growled, tried to get at him through

the cage.

He drove him to an area in a woodsy

"neighborhood"

and the poor, scared thing was so angry, but of course

probably more scared than anything

was not happy.

I asked my hubby when he let him out, did he try to get

at him?

He said

if it had we'd be talking in a hospital because he

would of been recovering from a

heart attack!

Herb Bouquet

2011-06-14T14:13:00.000-04:00

We're having gorgeous

weather today!

I wish summer could be

in the low 70's

all summer long.

It seems for the first time in

YEARS

I am minding the heat.

I NEVER thought

I'd say that.

Well this morning I picked

herbs.

Greek Oregano and English Thyme.

Oh they smell so good.

I decided to hang them

from my light

fixture above my sink

so I can smell them as they dry.

I planted French Thyme, Rosemary

and Basil.

This season I didn't plant as much

as I would of liked.

With the house for sale I didn't want

to invest too much into

my garden.

So we planted two types of tomatoes

and a zucchini plant.

A few flowers and all my containers.

So I'm still enjoying some

gardening,

I've just done it simply this time.

I never thought how

time consuming

it is to have the house

for sale.

Hello my Darling!

2011-05-19T14:16:00.000-04:00

Here she is!

She made her first debut yesterday!

Hello my darling rose,

welcome.

In her lovelines,

gorgeous pale pink color

and sweet smelling

way,

she has opened up.

But she's a little shy,

she was tucked

in between the leaves

and buds

who are still hiding.

I've waited for you all

winter long.

The meter reader person may

not like having to

move my rose bush in order

to read,

oh well, he just better

not hurt her!

Spring Brings a Smile

2011-05-11T20:32:00.000-04:00

April was such a cold and rainy

month,

bone chilling some days with a

couple of

80 degree days.

But May has turned out to be a

GORGEOUS

month so far and everything is

either in bloom

or ready to explode

bleeding heart almost done

but so beautiful!

columbine in bloom now, love the colors

clematis in full bloom

you see my rose bush?

It's massive and loaded,

can't wait until they open

and smell the air

I can't believe how quicly this rose

bush has grown, it has

pale pink small roses,

it too is loaded with buds!

Tulips are just about done, but

right now I have tulips that are

about 3 feet tall and pink

in bloom,

they're from Holland,

my one brother-in-law

brought those back for me

they are my pride and joy!

I'll need to post those next time!

I take a walk almost

everyday around my yard

looking at the progress of

my flowers!

Love this time of year!

Hope you are too!

(although right now I'm dealing with

horrible allergies, the worst ever

and evidently I'm not the only one,

I guess you have to suffer to enjoy the

beauty that surrounds you)

Gluten Free Chocolate Cookie Pie (Chocolate Town Pie)

2011-04-14T09:40:00.000-04:00

This pie is one of the easiest,

simplest pies to make,

that is,

unless you make it

Gluten Free.

I've made this pie for years,

and just

LOVE IT!

But now with my Gluten and Wheat

intolerance's

I've had to stop making some

things.

But, now with great GF flours

out there,

I can make my favorite desserts

again.

The hardest part is the crust!

What a nightmare.

The directions tell you to place dough

between parchment paper

and roll.

Easier said than done.

I'm rolling it out like I did when I made

regular pie crust,

well big mistake, you can't do that.

You have to GENTLY

roll it out,

barely pushing down otherwise it

just separates.

It takes a lot of patience to make

GF pie crusts,

but it is worth it in the end.

Now after rolling it out,

flip it onto your

pie dish

Oh my, now I'm frustrated,

they also don't tell

you that this is going to happen,

why bother rolling it out?

So after some fixing up, squeezing

together, piecing it like

a puzzle

Voila!

Looks pretty, heh?

Then they tell you to fold over edges

and crimp,

HA! Yea right, I wasn't messing

with it after what

happened, so I took a fork and press

along the edge of the crust.

Pretty enough!

So the filling I made GF as well, not

a problem there.

Filled the crust and baked it and

this wonderful

chocolaty

heavenly

sweetness

came out,

YUM!

I was a very happy girl,

that's for sure!

So, I will attach the crust recipe for you

Pie Crust

(this is a pumpkin pie recipe but it has the crust recipe as well)

(I'm having some for breakfast can't help it)

Chocolate Town Pie:

9 in. unbaked pastry shell

1/2 cup of butter, softened

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla (there are GF Vanilla extracts out there)

1 cup of sugar

1/2 flour or Gluten Free flour mix

1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup of walnuts or any nuts

Prepare pastry shell, set aside. Heat oven to 350. In small mixer bowl cream butter, then add eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl combine flour and sugar and add to the

butter mixture. Stir in chips and nuts. Pour into your pastry

shell. Bake for 45-50 minutes or til brown.

Cool for one hour and serve warm.

You can serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

ENJOY!

Rain, Baking, Relaxing....

2011-04-12T16:25:00.001-04:00

So it's one of those days,

rainy, cold, and windy.

Yesterday it was

80 degrees

and gorgeous, so I took

advantage of

that

but I knew that today I would

feel miserable.

My FM has flared up, not a

surprise

Fall and Spring wreak havoc

on that.

I love those times of the year

but my body

does not

So today, I am attempting

to make a pie

out of Gluten Free products

which I will

post later today whenever

I get it

done.

Making a pie today is an all day

affair when you

feel like I do.

The sun tried to come out

after it poured all morning

but now its dark

and dreary again,

welcome to

SPRING!

But I got laundry almost

done today,

we had our Open House this

past Sunday

and it turned out well,

that was stressful.

I will tell you the one benefit

to selling your

home,

you are FORCED to keep your

house clean and organized.

You just don't know when you'll

get a phone call

telling you

someone wants to

see your home!

YIKES!

But, we have been

disciplining ourselves

to keeping up with our home

every single day.

Otherwise it's not fun having

strangers walking through

your home,

I feel like my privacy is being

violated but I know it's

part of the process,

but I don't have

to like it.
I also got to reorganize
my closet
and swap out my winter
clothes.
I enjoy doing that because
I forget what I had
for the Spring/Summer
season so it's like
shopping in
my own closet every
season.
I bought a skirt
at JC Penney and have been
trying to find the right
top for it, mainly
because the color is so hard
to find
and who would of known
that I had two tops
already
that go great with it.
You see, like
shopping!
And the other great thing is
that I get to sort through my
things and decide
what to pitch, donate
or take to a consignment
shop. I have two
bags to take.
I need to stop shopping.
That is a goal that I
am setting
for myself.
Buy only what I NEED,
not what I want,
plus my closet is not a walk in as
some of you women
are blessed with,
so I have to be careful with
the space that I
have to work with.
(Yes I did NEED that skirt that I bought at Penney's)

On another note, I saw

this on a site, wish I

could remember where,

I just love it

Isn't it beautiful?

I'm trying to figure out if it's

a dresser at the end

of the bed or

one solid bed frame?

This would be great in a small space.

Well, just wanted to stop

in and say

hello!

An Adventure

2011-04-05T21:08:00.000-04:00

So DH and I are planning a new

adventure!

We have our home on the market,

yes I know,

of all times, right?

It's one of those things, you know,

there's someone

out there who's looking for a home

like ours

in this area,

we hope.

Today is a week it's been for sale

and we've had

one showing, so that's good.

We'll have our first

Open House

on Sunday,

so we shall see.

But in the meantime, we've

been busy

staging our home.

Fresh paint,

organizing,

rearranging,

cleaning,

etc..

Our Kitchen:

Dining Room

Sitting Area

Living Room

Master Bedroom

lots and lots of stuff to

get our home

ready.

This is our first house together

so it's hard to

try and let it go but

at the same time

we're excited about our future

plans and are ready

to move forward.

No matter where we live

it will be our home.

It's kind of exciting

decorating a new place,

although we'll be renting

for a bit

so we can't do

whatever we want,

but

that's

OK,

we're ready to let some one

else worry

about the leak

under the sink,

or the toilet

not working.

And we'll

get to live outside

of a

big city,

and I am a city girl

at heart

so it'll be fun.

We shall see what happens.

On a cute note,

here are my

"kids"

looking so cute

Kahlua was trying to figure

out how

he could

fit in there with them,

but it wasn't happening,

poor baby!

Is Spring coming soon......

2011-03-04T09:13:00.000-05:00

Could it be?

Is it really?

Is it a ROBIN?!!!

Around here from what I

understand

if you see a Robin then

SPRING

is around the corner

and that my

dears

is a Robin in my

backyard!

I already have my tulips,

daffodils,

and Columbine's

peeking through!

It makes my heart

pit'r pat'r

I'm ready to run through

the hills

and

SING!

Well, not really, let's not

go to far,

but I am

EXCITED

about

winter slowly

coming to

a close

and seeing life

appear

and color

take

over!

But it is still darn cold out today!

BRRRRR!

Have a great Friday!

Sick and Tired

2011-02-22T15:11:00.000-05:00

Since November I have been sick

FOUR times this year.

This last virus, which Doctors don't

seem to know what it is,

has kicked my butt big time!

It took me 15 days to get well,

but to end the virus I

got

PINK EYE!

I thought I was Six years old

all over again!

Today is a good day, it has taken

another week to

feel myself again.

But before I got so sick,

DH and I had another home project.

We went to IKEA,

LOVE LOVE LOVE that place

and we picked out storage.

(one up three more to go)

(you can see what we painted before on the walls, a bright yellow, ugh)

(finally up now we need to screw into the wall and together)

(this outlet was behind the cabinets and DH did a good job of

exposing it)

(all we have to do now is add the doors, but wait, they were the

wrong size, so another week later we put on the right doors but had

to remove the drawers and redo them, frustrating. Nowhere in the

directions does it say to put on doors FIRST before adding

interior pieces, UGH!)

(while we waited to get the new doors I added all my stuff,

couldn't wait...:) I still have room)

(as you can see one door is missing, we have it but we didn't

realize that these doors needed four hinges, so we ran out, again

NOWHERE in the directions does it tell you how many

hinges you need for these doors....UGH!)

(so we moved our sideboard in front of the window, do you

see my sweet Latte there?)

(you don't realize how tall they are in the store

until you bring them home!)

So hopefully by next week we'll

have our door added

to the pantry.

Our home is lacking in closets.

Love the older homes

but wish they had better storage,

so we added our own.

Two coat closets, a broom closet

and a pantry.

We love it, it has certainly added

something to our home.

Love IKEA but they certainly don't

have the best directions

on their stuff.

But it won't discourage me from

shopping there!

New Handbags!!!

2011-01-20T09:44:00.000-05:00

Ta-Da

Finally, it has been completed!

It took three days

to make my handbags.

I'd forgotten how much I enjoy doing

them.

Piecing them together, finding complimentary

touches to finish them

Above is my Blue and Brown soft corduroy

paisley.

Do you like the handles?

Above is my colorful fun spring/summer

bag.

I love the rick rack ribbon, isn't it fun?

And each bag has four pockets

to carry all the

junk

necessities!

Plenty of room!

These are for me!

I have enough fabric to make one

more of each,

so if anyone is interested

let me know.

Hope you liked them!

Sew Wonderful!!

2011-01-18T09:53:00.000-05:00

Today I am actually going to get to

SEW!!!

Woo Hoo!

It's been way over due. Some of you may

have read a bit of

my whining on my last post.

I had every bit to whine, the winter is

flying by and I've yet

to accomplish any sewing projects, so last night

I cut, cut, cut fabric and I have

some more to do today.

Since the weather is icky out today,

roads are slick,

and hubby took the SUV to work

which is the car I

drive everyday, then I thought today

would be a great day

to catch up

DH brought my sewing machine in

for me,

it's on the dining room table

ready to go.

So the fabric above is for two purses,

This one below is for purse one:

Love the colors, its a soft

corduroy

and I'll be using dark brown

handles for this

purse

The one below is for purse number

two:

Bright colors with a dark brown

background,

aren't the polka dots fun?

This fabric is for an apron I'm making

for new friends that we

made.

We've been staying with a family

every once in awhile during

our Hindi class,

and she loves to cook so I thought

of making her an apron with the

colors of India,

but I forgot to get coordinating

strap fabric for the ties,

And this one is for another wonderful

friend in TN, a family we stayed

with while visiting.

They are such an awesome couple,

married for many years

and she loves

cooking and entertaining as

well,

the colors go with her kitchen:

So lots of sewing to do, and I'm

excited.

I will post the finished products.

Is it 2011 Already??!!

2011-01-13T12:48:00.000-05:00

I don't know where 2010 went

but it's gone,

just like that!

It's behind us now and we're

looking at a new year,

already!

I can't believe how fast

this winter

is moving along and

I feel I have

accomplished

NOTHING!

I haven't had a cold

in two years

but whatever is going around

it GOT ME!!

I was loving Fall, I felt good

then November hit

and it went downhill!

Two months and 12 days

and I'm still feeling

a train ran over me.

Now it's my Sciatic Nerve!

I've done no sewing,

no crafting,

no scrap booking,

no projects!

What have I done?

Well, we're finishing up our

Hindi Language Class.

Feb. 5th is the

last day.

It'll be sad but at the same

time

I'll have my Saturdays back.

Four months of

Saturdays

learning a language

that has brought

tears to my eyes,

oh, not because

it's a beautiful

language,

even though

I think it

is,

it's because of

frustrations!

My Language Book

almost felt

the heat

of our

fireplace!

But it's OK,

we're hanging in there.

In the meantime,

I've made some yummy

Gluten Free

Chewy Peanut Butter Bars

They have peanut butter

(obviously)

Coconut, and chocolate chips!

Boy were they good.

So now, I have to lay on a tennis

ball, per my massage

therapist's instructions.

She said "it'll heard like heck

but you got to do it for

at least 3 minutes, then

roll on it"

WOW! Does it hurt!

Hope your winter is going well!

AND THE WINNER IS............

2010-12-16T09:50:00.001-05:00

And the winner of my 100th Post

Giveaway is......

Book yeti

Congratulations!!

This is what happens when your

name gets put in

THREE times!

Send me your mailing address

to my email.

And I will mail it out next week!

Thank you to every one that

entered the giveaway.

There will be more

in the

future.

Yarn, Tassles, Ribbons, Oh My!!! (Plus Giveaway)

2010-11-29T12:58:00.003-05:00

First off, I have not forgotten

about the

GIVEAWAY.

I just don't know what happened

to the month of

November!

It went whooshing by like a

freight

train!

So please, if you have not

left me a comment,

added your name

to the

"Following" list

and maybe even posted

the giveaway on

your blog, do so, and I will

draw up names

in December.

I have to give a deadline though,

so December 16th will be it.

Click here for the

NOVEMBER GIVEAWAY

if you leave a comment,

your name goes in once,

if you "follow" as well,

that's twice,

if you post it on your blog

that's three times.

Best wishes!
(By the way, this is my
100th Post, whew)

Now to go onto other great

and exciting things that

I have done

this month.

My dear friend

Valerie and I took a

girls

NYC

trip.

And we saw some eye candy!

We went to

Lion Brand Yarn store

and it was

beautiful!

Here's their Mascot

And the wall of Yarn

The ladies at Lion Brand were so nice

and allowed us to

take pictures of their lovely store

After that we hopped on the Subway

and headed to Union Square

not realizing what was

in store for us when

we came up

from the subway station

UNION SQUARE FARMERS MARKET

and scones the size of a softball

we had to split

a pumpkin scone and was it

delicious!

and there were tent, after

tent, after tent of

crafts, herbs, spices,

teas, handmade items,

baked goods,

things from

other countries, it was overwhelming

and so much fun!

But we were

on our way to this wonderful

place

TINSEL TRADING COMPANY

It was beautiful when we walked

in.

I love the details of the building

inside

The workers in here were also

so helpful and kind,

we spent quite

a bit of time in here,

taking it all in.

Then on our way back to the subway

we were ready to cross

the street and

Valerie looked over and

spotted this

amazing,

colorful,

large,

a crafters paradise

M & J TRIMMING

Do you see the beautiful

pink tassels?

They had these I think in

every color

out there!

So yes, we had a blast.

I've lived in NYC, born and raised

and have never

been to these

shops.

How sad, I know, I hear you

crafters out there!

But now that I know where they

are at

I will be back!

Hope you enjoyed the tour,

don't forget to go to

my Giveaway Post!

Organic Make-up Call!

2010-11-11T10:14:00.001-05:00

Good morning out there in

blog land.

Today is a beautiful, crisp Fall

day,

which if you haven't figured

out already,

I LOVE FALL!

Anyway,

I've been having skin issues

lately,

on my face.

Now I know I am getting

older

because I've NEVER had

skin issues.

But I'm dealing with inflamed

redness around

my nose

and it goes from being

tender

to itchy.

Not pleasant!

So it may be time for me

to try

Organic

make-up.

Who would of thought?!

So are any of you

using any

organic products,

mainly make-up

you know,

concealer,

face powder,

blush

things like these?

There are so many websites

its hard to know which

to trust.

Leave me a comment

and let me know.

Don't forget to

the

100th POST GIVEAWAY

A Giveaway!!! 100th POST!

2010-11-03T13:51:00.000-04:00

Hello, today is a BEAUTIFUL Fall Day!

Brisk and windy

with the sun shining brightly today.

Well,

I just realized that I am coming up to

100th Post!

I can't believe it,

and I just realized I've been blogging

for over a

YEAR now!

Time Flies!

So, this is my 97th Post.

November is a

month where I will be sewing and

playing in my craft room.

So, to be honest, I

have not decided what to give away just

yet, but it will be something

that I made!

HMMMMM, what will it be?

So if you'd like to enter

Here are a few rules:

1- leave a comment

2- share the giveaway

on your blog

with my link

3- if you're already "following" me

then you'll have a double

chance.

(I will check and see if you have posted this on your blog, just to make sure :)

So I wish you the best, and when I know

what I will be giving away,

I will post it.

OK, need to lie down, not feeling well,

darn COLD!!

(This giveaway will last until the middle of November)

Leisure Fall Day

2010-10-29T12:29:00.000-04:00

Enjoyed a beautiful Fall day yesterday with my Dear Husband

Then we drove to a local town and visited

an old Covered Bridge

It was a perfect Fall day!

Hope you're enjoying Fall wherever

you are at!

A Sweater Obsession.....

2010-10-21T10:57:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the new

and

gorgeous Fall sweaters

out there?!

If not, where in the world

have you been?

My DF Valerie and I went

shopping last

week,

and the different,

gorgeous selections of Fall

clothes out there

is pretty

amazing.

I think more so because

they look

FEMININE!

I'd forgotten what it looks

like to see a

woman dress like a

WOMAN.

(Look at the old black and white movies)

I do my best because I

am a girly

girl, thanks to my mom,

and Great-grandma.

But, ladies, SERIOUSLY!

Do you need to look

like you crawled

out of bed.

Do you need to wear

your pajamas in

public,

I don't care how

comfortable they are,

there are clothes

out there that

are comfortable to wear

and at the same

time

flattering, or is it

that you just

DON'T CARE?

Well,

this year we're surrounded

by Feminine

beauty.

Isnt' she a beauty?

How can you resist?

I found these on

Anthropologie

(a little bit pricey for me)

They have an amazing

collection,

I drooled a little!

But for a little bit less

( I have this one in a Dusty Rose with

that adorable belt too.)

They are having a sale

now and I do

love their

selection.

(this one is so soft and girly, it's the

Corsage Sweater)

(This one too I LOVE)

I LOVE that Argyle is every

where!

These sweaters are BYGO

50% Off

right now at

New York & Co.

So ladies, go out there

and buy at

least one, maybe two, go

with a GF and split

the sales

prices, do what you have

to.

Let's see the Feminine

come back!

Fall Comfort-Gluten Free Apple Cake

2010-10-07T10:58:00.000-04:00

A year ago I would of turned my nose

up when hearing

Gluten Free.

But after many hours of research,

finding

great websites and blogs that

feature

Gluten Free Recipes has

been a

WONDERFUL

thing

for me

and dear hubby.

When I first starting baking

with GF flours

it was awful.

The dessert would be

grainy

and

dense.

But there's an Organic market

The Common Market

It's a 45 minute drive from our house

I'll make a day of it and run other

errands down there.

But they sell a wonderful GF flour

mix in their

bulk section and it's like using

regular flour.

It's light and airy and my desserts

now come out

as if I used regular white flour.

Now DH loves

my GF desserts.

I made this apple cake on Monday

in a 9x13 Pan

and there is only two pieces

left!

I even have my friends eating

GF,

I don't tell them until after

they take a

bite

but by then all you're hearing

are

OM Goodness, this is

INCREDIBLE!

Gluten Free Apple Cake Recipe Here

(I would cut back on the sugar next time)

A New Diet??!!

2010-10-04T19:58:00.000-04:00

Hello, all, are you feeling the cold?

It feels like Fall here.

Cold, wet, damp, YUCKY!

But a great day for

Lentil Stew which I love making

and eating,

but I found out today,

NO MORE LENTILS FOR ME!!

So disappointing!

But I'm desperate so I 'll listen.

I know I've posted this

before,

but I have digestive issues which

has led me to a

Gluten Free

Wheat Free

way of living, but there is still

some issues

I'm dealing with.

So after much research, and

frustrations,

I kept stumbling upon this

Blood Type Diet.

Have you heard of this before?

Well, it's very interesting.

I've read many

websites between last night

and today.

There are many restrictions

but nothing

that I can't handle.

At this point

I will do anything.

One of the

sites even had recipes

for all

blood types which is very

helpful.

So I will start one day

at a time.

I know many of you out there

also deal

with these issues and so many

of you have some

great blogs or sites which

I've found helpful.

So I will be posting my

journey of this new

diet that I'm going to try

and that I

hope is the answer to my

problems.

We shall see.

New Language Class

2010-09-26T08:46:00.000-04:00

Hello, everyone, are you

ready for

FALL?

I am so ready!

Today its cool and cloudy.

The past

few days have been so hot

that I had

to break down and put on

the AC.

We're also being attacked

by STINK BUGS

here.

There isn't anywhere you

go that

you don't see them

climbing up

walls or coming at you

with that

buzzing sound.

I HATE BUGS

well,

annoying ones

anyways.

So yesterday was our

first

language class.

I posted about that some time

ago.

Some of you asked what

language

we were learning,

well,

we're learning

Hindi!

In our area we're having

so many

from India moving here

and the surrounding

towns,

which means

yummy restaurants

around

us.

Some of you know that my

husband

and I are Ministers as well.

We're out in the

ministry

pretty regularly

and we're coming across

many who

speak

either

Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi

just to name

a few.

So we,along with 24

others are

taking this language

class.

Yesterday it was over

Three hours

and by the second

hour my

head was

literally pounding.

It was pretty

overwhelming.

I couldn't sleep well last

night and neither

did hubby.

There's a lot to learn,

we're excited

but

overwhelmed.

We had a good time

with everyone,

laughs,

frustrations,

a moment of when

I wanted

to cry,

but

didn't.

We have 15 more weeks of

it.

It's every Saturday for

16 weeks.

So its a commitment,

but that's OK,

the people

we meet in our ministry

make it worth

it.

TORNADO-in Brooklyn NY??

2010-09-16T20:05:00.002-04:00

(this is in Queens, NY, on the corner of
where my parents live)
It's around 6:45pm, my phone

rings,

"Arlene?"

Asks the concerned voice,

"Hi mom, you OK?"

"Well, we just had a tornado

hit here!"

"WHAT??!!"

I could tell in her voice,

she was scared

and confused!

She couldn't believe it,

the windows

rattled, she thought

for sure

they were going to shatter.

She hid in the corner

of the room.

I felt helpless, she said she's

fine!

"Where's Dad?" I asked,

"Well......"

"Mom is he OK, did you

hear from him?"

"Yes I just did, he scared me

half to death"

Evidently my father had called

my mom as he always

does when he arrives

to the car, after

he gets off

the train,

to let her know he's on his way,

when he did this,

at that moment

electrical lines fell onto his

car,

people were screaming at

him to

GET OUT NOW!

He's screaming

with my mother

on the

phone

all he kept saying was

Oh, my God!

So my poor mom felt

helpless!

He got out of the car

and he's fine.

Somehow he managed

to get back into it

and maneuver

through

the streets of Queens, NY.

He says it looks

a war torn city now.

As I talked to him

I can hear

in his voice the fear

and

the adrenaline

still kicking!

Why are they so far

away from

me?!

They're OK now,

but the City is not.

One person died

so far!

Click here to see pictures

Now they're just waiting

to see what happens.

But they're OK!
(I will be posting more pictures
from my dad)

We Had Visitors for Two Weeks!

2010-09-01T16:47:00.000-04:00

I would NEVER claim to

be a

Domestic Diva,

but

I will anyways.

I was one

from

Friday until Tuesday!

From

sun up to sun down

I cleaned,

organized,

threw out,

scrubbed,

polished,

froze corn or fruit,

until I collapsed

last night.

But what a wonderful

accomplishment.

I had a goal

to get all this

done

BEFORE

September 1st.

and I did.

Now I still do have somethings

left to do,

but they'll have to

wait til cooler

weather.

But if felt good.

My home

hasn't been

cleaned this way

in a year.

But sadly I threw

things out

that should never

of been

thrown

out.

FOOD!!!!!

What a waste that was

and it

just ripped into

me.

GUILT!

That will not happen again.

From now on, buy

ONLY

what we need.

Even if its

SALE!

WALK AWAY!

That goes

with clothes as well.

I'm trying to be more

disciplined

less wasteful

more organized.

Now on a different

topic,

we had visitors.

Would you like

to know

who?

Can you tell what

by looking

at this photo?

How about a closer look

then?

It's a visitor that no one

wants

to have in their home.

Well, for

two weeks we've been

killing these

in our house.

Majority in our home office

the rest

in our bedroom.

We've

killed between

15-20 per day

for the past

few days,

altogether,

over

Yes,

70!

The final straw was when

I was still sleeping

yesterday

morning and at

7AM

I felt something

crawling

on my arm

and it was

a Yellow Jacket!!

I am

HIGHLY

allergic to

bites and stings.

So after waking

up screaming

I could then

hear them

in our

wall.

THAT'S

IT
I"M CALLING
THE
EXTERMINATOR!!!!

As he geared up in

100 degree

weather,

I stood far away.

I felt

sorry for him, it

was horribly

hot

and when he

started

spraying

they were angry!

But it's

done,

they're

gone,

I HOPE!

So yes

some exciting times

in our home.

Evidently

there is an infestation

of bees in the

area.

It's this dry hot

weather here.

Who said there were a

shortage of

bees in this country?

Come to my

yard,

you can have some!

Storing Spices Enjoying End of Summer!

2010-08-26T14:24:00.000-04:00

(Is this the life, or what?)

My Kahlua,

he works so hard at being

so bad,

a kitty needs his rest so he

can torment

his siblings later!

Can't get over how fast the summer

has gone.

Despite how HORRIBLY

HOT

its been,

it's still about over and I will

miss

being able to go outside

and sitting

out there on our porch

enjoying these

lovely

views

I just took this picture,

it is

so BEAUTIFUL out today.

Fall is

knocking on our back door.

It's breezy,

dry and cool out today.

Sadly, we

didn't get to use our new porch

this summer,

it was too hot!!

But now we're enjoying it, trying to

take advantage

of these

lovely days.

Cool days like this put me in the

mood,

HMMMM, in the mood for

what?

For cooking, of course, and baking

and curling up

on the couch

with a warm yummy dessert

and cup of

Joe!

I made Stuffed Peppers

and they were YUMMY!!!

I used my

homemade sauce, which reminds

me, I've got lots of sauce

to make and

freeze!

Last night, I was cleaning out

my fridge

and I bought these adorable

spice jars

at Christmas Tree Shops

They had different shapes

there, and

I loved the shape of these.

So, I took out these

spices

from their original packaging

and put them in

these lovely

jars.

I have Turmeric, Curry, Mustard Seeds,

and Garam Masala

(which I'd like to make my own,

The Spice Goddess on the Cooking Channel

has a recipe for Garam Masala

so I'd like to make it

myself)

Remember my last post, I want to

make all kinds

of recipes of different cultures

and I'm starting out

with spices.

Well, anyway, I need more of

these jars,

they were cheap so I'll

probably go

tomorrow and get more.

Did you know that you should

store dark

colored spices in your

refrigerator?

I read that in a Cooking

magazine years

ago,

they stay fresh much longer

and I must

admit, I think they do.

Try that,

any red, brown, yellow or orange color

spices,

store them in your fridge.

But

whatever you do

DO NOT STORE YOUR COFFEE

IN THE FRIDGE!!!

It ruins your

coffee and makes it

stale.

Ask any coffeehouse

how they store their

coffee

and they'll agree

with that statement.

It's a SIN to do

that!

LOL

Well, not really.

Enjoy the rest of your summer,

it'll be another

seven months for

us NE folks before

summer

returns,

(sigh).

French Food

2010-08-10T21:04:00.001-04:00

Have you ever watched this show

French Food At Home?

I absolutely LOVE this show.

It's on the

Cooking Channel.

I could watch Laura for hours at a time.

I love her mannerisms,

the way

she expresses her love of food,

and all the wonderful

recipes she

cooks.

I have her set on my DVR for

every future

show.

As you all know on many

of my previous

posts

I LOVE TO COOK!

And I have made

a few

of French recipes.

I really want to

be able to spend more time

in trying new recipes.

I have become

COMPLETELY

Obsessed

with cooking shows lately.

I currently have

EIGHT

shows that I pre-record.

I also just

thoroughly enjoy

watching

Spice Goddess

Bal cooks Indian dishes

that I could

smell right from my living

room couch.

She makes my mouth

water.

OK, I am a little obsessed....LOL

But I want to try

all kinds

of recipes.

Whether French, Indian, Spanish, etc....

Cooking is satisfying and

relaxing.

I have taken a break on my

sewing.

I still do personal stuff, but

this past

Friday was my last craft show.

I did well at that

show,

but, I need to take a break

and focus

on something different.

We're learning a new

language as

well

and we're pretty excited.

So some new goals

have been

set.

I'm ready

for change.

Don't you get that way?

CONTAGIOUS!!! WHAT??!!

2010-07-21T12:21:00.000-04:00

Well, I went to the Doctor yesterday,

the cough was

not going away, my headaches were

not budging

so they got me in and I went,

I was afraid

but I had to go!

There's nothing better than when

your Doctor

walks into the room and sits down

and hears

you cough and says,

"I'll be right back, I need to get a mask"

MASK!

OK,

now I am really

freaking out!!

He comes in and

asks questions like, where does it

hurt, how long,

what have you been feeling,

etc. etc. etc.

"Have you gone anywhere lately?"

Yes, I say, to TN.

"HMMMM, your lungs are clear,

which is good,

but...."

BUT, BUT WHAT?

"....You have a virus, and you are

very contagious...

I'll give you an inhaler and some

cough medicine,

take those, if in a week you're not

better or if you feel

anything strange

in your chest,

CALL US RIGHT AWAY!"

A VIRUS!

So, I'm home, stuck in the house,

avoiding people,

trying to feel better.

So far so good, I am feeling

a little better

today.

So I'll do some crafts.

Watch some

movies.

DH, brought me these as a

surprise!

What a wonderful husband I

have, I know.

Oh well, at least now I know what

it is.

I called my mom, I told her I thought

I was dying.

She laughs, in case you haven't

noticed I'm a

little

dramatic,

just a little.....hehehe.

But dad called me this morning,

wanted to make

sure I was OK.

How sweet!

On a different note now,

I know, its not

always

about me....sheesh,

My dear friend

over at

My 1st Bambina

is having a giveaway,

she too went

for some tests,

but they came

back

real

good

for

her,

I'm so happy, Monika!

So go over to her

blog

and

join in the giveaway.

Monika is

so talented, she

embroiders

beautiful things.

I'll also will link the giveaway on my

sidebar as well.

Enjoy your day!

Is It Too Hot??!!

2010-07-18T12:58:00.000-04:00

Aren't my tomatoes pretty?

I'm surprised

I have any with how hot and dry

we've been

here in the NE area, actually

I think the

majority of the east coast is

suffering.

We returned from our trip to TN

and the weather

there is the same as it is here in

PA!

Hot, Humid, Hazy and just

plain

MISERABLE!

But today I'm feeling miserable.

Thursday afternoon

I started to have a dry cough

that hurt, a little.

Then Friday morning I went to work

and started feeling

dizzy, sweaty, shaky, and very

tired.

I did my job and went to the grocery

store to get some

Chicken soup ingredients.

Came home,

finished my work online, and made

soup.

I've been on my couch ever

since.

Drinking green tea, watching Hallmark

movies, or TCM movies.

There is nothing worse then being sick when

its

a 100 degrees outside.

But I'm not sure what I have.

not sure what's going on,

my boss

thought maybe heat exhaustion

but I don't do

anything in this heat.

HATE

the heat so I stay inside

mostly.

I drink plenty of liquids.

I thought maybe

the flu,

but its not,

the headaches and dizziness

are not fun.

I'm still coughing, a dry cough

that hurts

what in the world do I have??

So I'm home today

feeling sorry

for myself, and at the same

time,

very frustrated.

Someone

shoot

me!

Hope your weekend is alot

better than

mine!

Another Handbag & Gluten Free Cooking

2010-06-23T11:06:00.001-04:00

Do you love the beach?

I know I do!!!

So does the young girl

that I made

this bag for.

Her mom wanted to give her

a gift and she

asked

if I could make a bag with

the color of aqua

and a beach

theme.

So I searched, and searched

for fabric and

found this.

Then I added bamboo handles

which I just love.

This was fun to put together,

although,

I say that for all my bags.

I just love seeing

them come

together,

piece by piece.

My Gluten Free Cooking:

I made some Gluten Free Shrimp Scampi!

MMMM, was it ever yummy!

I used these noodles

which is like Fettuccine.

Sauteed the Shrimp

in garlic

and some spicy herbs

and made a

fresh

homegrown salad and

that was

dinner.

Then I made a Flour less

Chocolate Cake or

Tarte Au Chocolat

Served it with a Cherry Sauce

and had a cup of

Trader Joe's

Organic Coffee.

Now for some time I have been

looking for a

delicious Gluten Free

Oatmeal Cookie

recipe.

I'd say about 8 months ago

I found a recipe

that said it

won awards.

Now I SWORE I saved that

recipe,

but could not find it

ANYWHERE!

I searched online for it again

and it was

nowhere to be found. I was

quite

discouraged.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE

oatmeal cookies,

but my tummy

doesn't agree.

Now my stomach is really

acting up,

and it seems I may have

H. Pylori

AGAIN!!!!

My symptoms seem to

be the same.

So after alot of research

and reading

I didn't realize

you can get it again!

So, my research

has led

me to

understand,

that I have to completely

AVOID:

Gluten

Wheat

Dairy, mainly cow, especially processed,

Soy, (which I avoid anyway)

so basically

NO LIFE!

Well, not really,

thank goodness for so many out

there who patiently

post GF recipes,

dairy free recipes,

and

they are so willing to share them.

I also love

the

Living Without

website and magazine.

So many

recipes and ideas of healthy

living for

sensitive people like me.

Why can't I just be

normal?

I was grocery shopping on Monday,

and it took me

twice as long to get the right

foods

because I have to read

EVERYTHING.

Food right now

makes me sick.

My breakfast consists of a fruit smoothie

made with

Almond Milk

and I add

Aloe Vera Gel that comes

in a bottle.

For lunch, something

light

and GF.

Dinner, is a veggie or salad,

with chicken or light

fish,

and rice.

I have to be so careful now.

I never would of

thought

I'd have to do this.

Organic food,

Gluten Free Food,

Dairy free,

although I do buy

Goat's Milk for

Organic, Decaf Coffee.

OK, enough complaining,

I'm sure

many of you out there

understand.

So here are my delicious

cookies

Last night I heard my DH

getting into

my Cookie container

then I hear

this,

"Mmmmm, these are good"

I wanted to jump

of my seat

and snatch it out of his

hand and

say

MINE!!!

But I didn't, mainly because

the recipe

made plenty,

and I would like him to

eat

healthier as well.

But its a good thing for him I had

plenty to share!

If you'd like

this

GF Oatmeal Cookie

recipe,

leave me a comment

with your

email if you'd like.

Have a great

Day!

It's VERY HOT HERE TODAY!

UGH!!!

Handmade Handbag..other goodies

2010-06-15T20:41:00.001-04:00

So I've been busy, busy, busy,

working in my

craft room, trying to get some

things done.

My dearest friend, Valerie and her

Hubby celebrated

anniversary and I wanted to give

her something

special

so I made her this

and here's a close up

But I'll tell you something, I

will

NEVER

sew a satin ribbon on a purse

again!!

It slid here and there, it wanted

to pinch

and

it was getting pretty

FRUSTRATING!

But

it was for my dearest,

best friend

so I did it for her and she

loves it.

I'm glad!

Then I've been altering clipboards

as well

I made one for my

mom

and then I made another

one,

just because

I really do enjoy making these

and I have

a few more to make.

I enjoy cutting

the paper

and trying to find

paper to compliment it

as well

then adding the

ribbon

make it even

more pretty!

Today was a good day!

I met a very sweet

young lady

all

the way

from

Ambert, France.

We spent the day together,

she's a friend

of a

friend

and we got to talking

about so

many things

She had lots

of questions about America

and how

Americans do things here.

We compared

cultures,

which

was fun

and it is amazing

how different

things are.

Let's just

say,

I'm ready to move

to the

countryside

France.

keep asking my

to see if his company

needs him to

move

to France, or UK, or

how about

just Europe?

Well,

Evidently not!

STINK!!!

But she talked

about the

open markets there

and how they

cook

everything fresh

each day.

Very healthy,

no fast

foods,

she never even heard of

frozen foods

before,

I had to explain that to

her.

The look on her face

said it all,

how

GROSS!!!

LOL

But I did get to go

to a

Mennonite Market today

and

purchased some beautiful

berries,

and a large beautiful Melon

and

the largest

spring onions

And although

it rained most of the day,

we had a nice

time,

I love hearing her speak,

love the french

accent.

And I was able to purchase

fresh produce

right from our

local farmers,

hmmm,

what should I do

with all these

lovely

berries?

Maybe some warm

crepes

for breakfast?

Sounds

good!!

Au Revoir!!